Also from Zoxell: These are the Voyages

Daniel Noah Shays is a human, born on Earth to a hard-working agriculturalist couple in the South Carolina back-country. Dan’s father was a farmer, as was his father’s father, going back hundreds of years. The world had moved past agriculture a long time ago. Having eliminated food shortages and hunger with the onset of replication technology, food growers on Earth were no longer necessary. This fact did not diminish the demand for fresh, organic vegetables, eggs, dairy, and meat, however.

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Chapter 8.8 – Entity

Reid Kimura had been a brilliant scientist, mathematician, and engineer.

Under different circumstances, perhaps he could have been regarded as such. But things being as they are, he is remembered by those few who knew him, only for the disturbing evil he had committed. The others who did not know him, are left with the ponderous question asking what had happened to change the course of such a promising, young prodigy.

—

As a young boy, Reid had discovered a silvery-haired baby hidden inside Sunset Valley’s abandoned mine. She was alone and scared when he found her crying deep within the malevolently dark tunnels. Her cheeks were streaked where tears had left trails through the dirt and dust crusted onto her pretty face. It was evident, even during those first few moments of uncertainty and confusion, that something was terribly wrong. It was bad enough this poor girl was here in the first place. What made matters worse, is that something impossibly ancient and unthinkably evil had found the baby before he had.

The evil presence had coerced Reid into striking a deal with it. Being little more that a terrified child himself, he did not fully understand what consequences his decision might bring about. Reid did what he was instructed to do, and returned home to his mother, along with the child. The silvery haired girl was adopted into the family, and was given the name Kacey. Reid had thought his part of the deal to be complete. But the evil presence remained with Reid, slowly consuming his mind with disturbing visions that would eventually lead to his insanity.

Then, as he matured, it began to corrupt his spirit with depraved and obscene desires. Reid eventually became lost to the urges being continually fed into his mind. But some small piece of virtue still remained. Although it was minuscule and pathetic, it proved potent enough to fight against the compulsion to kill Kacey outright. It was not potent enough, however, to resist doing wicked and terrible things to her in retribution for his defiance.

What remains of Reid is fractured and broken; his forlorn remnants barely sustainable against the irresistible tide carrying him into the black abyss which will serve as his eternal afterlife.

The raw emotion that accompanies the witness of a doomed spirit, leaves Luke feeling bleak and hopeless, and unable to speak. Reid’s voice has the sound of corroded and rusted metal grinding in Luke’s mind. He speaks as would any sim facing his damnation; devoid of emotion, unsteady, and oddly contrite. He tells Luke that there is little time remaining. But there is still much to accomplish. Luke freezes in place when Reid begins to move toward the fissure and motions him to follow.

After a moment, Reid pauses, his ethereal shoulders drooping as he speaks again to Luke. He does not blame Luke for being overly cautious. It is probably a good thing considering what he will soon be squaring off against. But Luke has nothing to fear tonight. The Reid he sees now is just the hollow shell of a man who had been consumed by evil from the inside. The only thing that remains of him is the small cinder of decency that had kept Kacey alive. Besides that, the dead cannot harm the living.

Luke sets his jaw and challenges Reid’s last statement, telling him about the encounter with Corwin. Reid shakes his head and admits he does not understand what Corwin had been playing at. Perhaps it was meant as a deception designed to keep him close to home, and away from this place. While taking a few carefully places steps back toward the path he had used to come here, Luke growls impatiently. He reminds Reid that he had lured both David and Kacey into his lair a long time ago. And they barely escaped alive. Luke’s voice trails off in confusion, while he wonders silently to himself how he came to know about the event he just spoke about.

Reid nods, and does not deny the act. He also asks Luke to recall the simple fact that while he could have easily killed them both, he did not.

Luke staggers, having been suddenly overcome by a disorienting wave of awareness. The sensation is similar to having pushed hard on a barrier for a long time, only to have is suddenly give way under the pressure. He finally steadies himself, only to be dumbstruck again. Through some impossible process, his mind has been set loose upon a vast sea of memories that do not belong to him. He remembers Reid’s attack on David at the mine. He remembers kissing Kacey the night she disappeared out of David’s life. He remembers seeing her again, this time as Hope, who had fallen asleep on a bench after being severely beaten, nearly to death. Kacey saved her life that night. He remembers Grandma Faith as a teenager, pulling Kacey out from beneath countless tons of rock and earth. It was right here, hundreds of feet below this very spot where she lay trapped. Luke’s heart and mind race as he searches for a way to comprehend this. How is it possible to remember events from another sim’s life?

After a moment, it slowly comes together and begins to make sense. These are not his memories at all. They are the memories of a very old entity; a formless being that hides in a world between worlds, using Luke as an extensional anchor. David was the first Barimen to act in this capacity. The entity has since moved to the first-born of every generation, hiding safely away from those who would gain unimaginable wealth and power just simply from killing it. The whispering voices Luke heard, the ones that lead him here; it was the voice of the entity. It wanted him to find Reid.

All Luke’s abilities, including his tirelessness and near limitless stamina; they are all a side effects of his relationship with the entity. Luke’s first encounter with an “otherworldly” voice occurred at the estate after he saw ghosts for the first time at the mausoleum. The voice told him he had a unique gift. And if he wanted to claim victory, he had to listen and obey. He had always thought it was telling him to listen to his parents. But now he’s sure it meant that he should listen to the entity. It knows better than anyone what must be done for it to emerge from the place between worlds. Luke eyes Reid suspiciously. This goes far outside the bounds of his better judgement.

But even so, Luke is comforted by a peculiar sensation; accompanied by the quiet hush of a hundred whispering voices, gently thanking him for giving so freely of his trust.

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4 thoughts on “Chapter 8.8 – Entity”

WOO! More storyline! Interesting. Reid was kind of possessed? Hm.
I saw the duo Kacey’s. I’m hoping its not her babyself for when she went back in time to visit -.- that would mean its not her kid. WAAH..

Hmm more spirits looming around huh. I like that they’re present in your story, makes things unique and interesting. I think Luke has something in him since he’s connecting so easily with all these spirits. I wonder where all this will end.

Also, new chapter on my legacy and the next generation heir poll is up so hurry and vote for your favorite!

Another interesting development, finding that Luke is the vessel that holds this mysterious entity, and that Reid was indeed possessed by something since finding Kacey in the cave.
I wonder where the entity wishes Luke to go and if indeed he can trust the spirit of Reid.

Zoxell

Up Next: Part 21 – ??

August 20, 2017
Van and Benita finally begin to heal their relationship and discover that their friendship does, indeed, have a much more complicated component. Big things await our embattled couple.
Next up – Frightening news from Area 15 is accompanied by a surprise visit from an old friend. Also, Benita receives help from a very unexpected source.